Here's What You Need to Know About That Shady Evan Johnson and James Charles Drama

Being caught between friends who break up is never fun. You can find yourself being pulled in different directions as they ask you to pick sides and struggling to know exactly who's in the right.

However, every now and then, one of those people shows up with receipts about the other person's behavior. This often makes it much easier to know who you should support.

Theoretically, this should have been the case for controversial make-up artist James Charles after he was shown screenshots and alleged proof that his friend Evan Johnson was abusing his other friend, influencer Kayla Malec.

James and Kayla had been friends for a long time, so it was surprising when it seemed that the MUA was choosing Evan's side. Here's what we know about the messy drama that's following James and what Kayla has revealed about what went down between her and her ex, Evan.

James has been canceled over and over and has faced allegations of grooming children in the past. So, being embroiled in controversy is nothing new for the makeup maven.

But a new round of criticism for the controversial artist may finally sink his reputation for good. Because this time, the person he hurt came with some pretty undeniable receipts. And a court case.

This round of controversy blew up in April 2025 after Kayla shared a soul-bearing video to social media titled, "He doesn't love you. pt. 1." In the video, she detailed alleged abuses she suffered at the hands of Evan over the course of their 9-month relationship. Kayla later released more videos and posted screenshots of conversations she had with Evan and photos of what she says are bruises and injuries that he inflicted on her.

Evan was arrested, also in April 2025, on charges of domestic assault, per the New York Post.

James, who was supposed to be close friends with Kayla, did not show up for her the way people expected him to. There were rumors spread online that he was in a relationship with Evan, which would be bad enough given what his friend Kayla said about how he treated her. But it went beyond that.

James tried to pass it off by saying that he was misled by Evan — who said he was the victim — and promised to publicly stay out of the drama until after Evan had his day in court.

That day in court came on May 7, 2025. Kayla took to social media to share her anxiety and stress as she readied to attend court, and then made her way to the courthouse.

After court, the first thing she posted was a triumphant video simply reading, "I won!"

In the comments, fans celebrated her chance to tell her story in court and the seemingly positive outcome, cheering on her bravery in coming forward.

Survivors of domestic violence often stay silent due to fear of reprisals or worsening threats to their lives, but Kayla took the extraordinary step of telling her story and ensuring that he was held accountable.

Kayla later added another video saying that Evan was in jail, and she said, "I was the last face he saw," as he was handcuffed and led away.

The details of his sentencing were not known as of the publication of this article, but Kayla's reaction suggests that the court must have accepted her proof, which she says included physical and verbal assaults, emotional abuse, and a nightmare which finally ended with his arrest just days after her first video dropped about the subject.

As of the publication of this article, James had not yet made another statement about the situation. However, when he shared a story to his Instagram about the case before the court date had concluded, James unequivocally stated, "I do not support Evan Johnson!"

Whether or not James and Kayla remain friends, James has another uphill battle in restoring his reputation. And this may have been one controversy too far.